


A Lifetime of Promises

by Dexterous_Sinistrous



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/M, Grief/Mourning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 08:26:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2341670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dexterous_Sinistrous/pseuds/Dexterous_Sinistrous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><strong>SPOILER WARNING</strong>: Major plot spoilers/Canonical Character Death</p><p>Edward Kenway was never good at keeping his promises. Life always seemed to steer him in another direction. That is, until Mary Read turned his life upside down. Mary taught him that there was more to life than self gain. It all takes a turn for the worse as she dies in his arms and makes him a final promise: "I'll be with you, Kenway. I will."</p><p>Edward, however, can't leave Mary behind. He's haunted by the memory of their time together as he mourns her. When pulled out of his grief by the Assassins, Edward becomes plagued by a single question: what happened to Mary's daughter? On the journey to become a better man, he makes a final vow to finish his last promise. And it all starts with finding Mary's daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lifetime of Promises

“Mary?” Edward asked in earnest as he pulled open the ironclad gate. “Mary, it’s me! Edward!” He knelt beside Mary’s motionless form, reaching out to touch her face gently. Her head bobbed heavily against his hand as he tried to inspect her vitals.

“Edward? Who’s this fella!” Anne’s voice yelled loudly from the cell next door.

Edward smiled lightly as Mary looked up at him, her eyes straining to see his face. Even in the lack of light, he could tell she was paler than usual. She was colder than the normal, welcoming body heat he had grown accustomed to feeling. Edward began to panic as Mary remained silent.

“It’s all right, Anne. He’s a friend. What’s wrong with Mary?” Edward allowed Mary’s face to fall from his hand.

“She’s ill,” Anne replied as Ah Tabai assisted her to walk over to the Mary’s cell.

“And her child?” Edward looked at Mary as he asked about the child. He wanted to ask the question that bugged him since hearing Mary say she was pregnant at her trial. Every ounce of him told him not to ask but it gnawed at the back of his brain for some time. He watched Mary’s face for any sign hinting at the child’s origins.

“They took her,” Anne’s voice pulled Edward from his thoughts. “No idea where. Ah!” She yelled as a pain surged through her body from her labor pains.

“I know it pains, m’lady. But we must be silent.” Ah Tabai coaxed Anne to follow him towards the prison’s back door.

“Can you walk?” Edward asked as he held Mary’s arm firmly to help her up. The only response was Mary’s soft groan of pain. “Lean on me, Mary. Come on,” he pleaded as he helped her walk out of her cell.

“I can’t …” Mary weakly protested in pain.

“Search every cell!” A guard’s voice called from several rooms away.

“Come on. That’s it.” Edward knew his attempts at reassurance were falling short. Mary could barely take a step without a pain shooting up through her body, it wasn’t likely that she could make it to the exit. _Don’t you quit on me_! “You’re all right.” He forced out as he tried to convince himself that Mary’s wounds weren’t severe.

They were only able to make it a few more feet when Mary reached her arm out to the wall for support. “Stop! Stop. Please,” she painfully begged as she stopped moving forward.

“I ain’t leaving you, dammit! Lift your arm!” Edward yelled as he placed Mary’s arm around his shoulders. His grip on her waist tightened as he moved forward, using his own weight to balance them.

“It’s no good,” Mary whispered as her legs began to weaken.

Edward ignored her plea, bending down to hook his arm under her legs. “I ain’t leaving you nowhere! No bloody way!” He panted at he looked her in the eyes.

“Put me down, Edward,” Mary pleaded once more as she gently placed her hand over his heart. She wasn’t going to allow him to throw his life away because of her. She was dead hours ago, and it pained her that Edward couldn’t do anything to help.

Edward finally gave in to Mary’s pleas as he placed her down, gently propping her back against the wall. He knelt in front of her, running his hand over her arm.

Mary finally found the strength to look up at him before she weakly stated, “Don’t die on my account. Go.”

“You’re such a pain in the arse,” Edward lightly joked as he tried to ignore the direness of the situation. “Damn it, you should have been the one to outlast me,” he finally admitted to himself once Mary didn’t respond to his sarcasm.

“I’ve done my part,” Mary admitted as she accepted her fate. “Will you?” She asked with her eyebrows knitted tightly together, a warm but pained smile gracing her lips as she looked at Edward.

“If you came with me, I could.” Edward leaned forward, a final plea for Mary to agree to fight for her life.

Mary’s head lolled to the side as her eyes closed. She couldn’t focus anymore as her hearing faded, her consciousness slipping away. The desperate pleas in Edward’s voice when he called her name brought her back to reality.

“I’ll be with you, Kenway.” Mary used the last of her strength to look at him. “I will,” she smiled in confirmation as she spoke her last words, her head falling limp to the side.

Edward felt his heart tighten as he ran his hand over Mary’s shoulder and arm. He let his head hang low, the silence enveloping him completely once he realized Mary had passed. He felt an emptiness spread through him now that he lost the last person who mattered. The last person he had loved.

“Fan out! Search every nook and cranny!” The guard’s voice was closer than before as he barked orders to find them.

 _I’m not leaving you,_ Edward thought as he collected Mary’s body in his arms. He moved as quickly as he could, holding her limp body tight in his arms. All thought left him as the only real feeling that hit him was the fading warmth in Mary’s skin.

“What’s happened to Mary? What’s wrong?” Anne asked as Edward approached the boat.

“Is she gone?” Ah Tabai asked when Edward ignored Anne’s question.

Edward kept his head hung low as he closed the gap between him and the boat. He leaned down and gently placed Mary’s body into the boat, laying her head securely against the side. He backed away from the boat as Anne yelled out in pain, both emotional and physical. Edward stood far away, his hands placed on his hips as he tried to find the strength to continue standing.

“What will you do now?” Ah Tabai asked as he walked closer to Edward.

“Nothing sensible,” Edward replied, watching the prison as he pondered his options. He almost didn’t care about choosing because he knew he wouldn’t follow through. He wouldn’t be sober enough to.

“You haven’t earned these, but they suit you,” Ah Tabai said as he handed Edward his old assassin robes. _Duncan Walpole's robes_.

Edward stared down at the robes he now held in his hands, picturing the glamorous future he imagined he would have with their help. He pictured the gold and good fortune he initially craved, only to be rewarded by the death of many friends.

“Good fortune to you, Edward Kenway.” It was a simple gesture, one that Mary would have been pleased with.

With that farewell, Edward watched as Ah Tabai pushed the boat into the water. He watched as the body of his last bit of happiness in the world disappeared into the night. He turned and walked away, determined to disappear into the bottom of a bottle.

~0~0~0~0~0~

The waves lapped violently against the Jackdaw as Edward tried in vain to steer the ship in the correct course. The freedom and easiness he once felt at the helm of the ship was replaced by fear and regret. He felt his memories haunting the back of his mind, the incessant drink allowing his mind to torment him with the ghosts of the past.

“No more than two years! You promised me—” Caroline began to yell at him as she appeared with the flash of distant lightning.

“You left! When I needed you the most,” Edward yelled back as he tried to rationalize his actions.

“But you had me!” Caroline screamed back at Edward as he steered the helm. “What keeps you wandering? Do I not make you happy?” She asked when Edward refused to answer her.

“I’m so close, Caroline! Please! Just let me do this!” Edward wasn’t sure anymore. He couldn’t remember his reasoning for staying away from her. He couldn’t go back to her, not when he knew his love for her had been washed away by another. _It’s not cruel to admit your love for another has died, is it? She left me_ , his mind raced at the attempt to reach a moral standing

“Is everything you do out of spite, Edward?” A different voice hammered his thoughts as Caroline’s voice changed into Mary’s.

“It’s not spite that’s driving me, Mary. It’s courage!”

“Courage for what, man? There’s no one left in your life to care!”

“God damn you all!” Edward laughed slightly as he begun to unravel. “I can handle this.”

“You lout! Always tearing down when you could be building things up. Or building yourself up, if nothing else!”

“Just leave me be!” Edward didn’t want to face Mary and her logic. He knew, in the end, that it would only pain him more to agree with her.

“Change course, Edward! Change your bloody course before it’s too late!” Mary yelled as the waves crashed over the ship, causing it to be obliterated by the sea.

Edward groaned loudly as he awoke on the dry, irritatingly coarse sand of the shore by the dock. _Another dream_ , he thought as he recalled Mary’s death. _I can’t even drink myself to death_ , he scoffed at himself, internally screaming for an end to this life.

~0~0~0~0~0~

“Edward,” Anne smiled as she said his name, only to have the frown crossed her face again when she saw the sorrow in Edward’s eyes.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Edward offered condolences as he leaned against the tree beside her.

Anne kept her eyes shut as she thought about the loss of her child. The loss of her last connection with Rackham. “If I’d stayed in prison, they’d have taken him from me. But he’d now be alive. Might be this is God’s way of saying I’m not fit to be a mother yet. Carrying on like I do: cursing, and drinking, and fighting.”

“You are a fighter, aye.” Edward pushed away from the tree, not wanting to force Anne back into a dark corner of guilt and grief. “In prison, I heard stories of the infamous Anne Bonny and Mary Read, taking on the King’s Navy together. Just the pair of you.” He knelt in front of Anne, speaking to her as he would a child when telling a story.

“It’s all true,” Anne smiled as she spoke. “And we’d have won that day if Jack and his lads weren’t passed out in the hold from drink.”

Edward smiled before standing briefly, leaning his back unceremoniously against the tree once more as he sat.

“Edward … Everyone’s gone, aren’t they? Mary. Rackham. Thatch. And all the rest. I miss them so, rough as they were.” Edward closed his eyes as he listened to Anne’s words. “Do you feel that too? All empty inside, like.”

“I do,” Edward admitted as he opened his eyes to watch the grass sway in the wind. “Devil curse me, I do.” He nodded his head in confirmation as he thought of their losses.

Edward thought of Thatch, how he died just out of his reach. He thought of Vane and Rackham spiraling out of control and ultimately landing in jail. Lastly, he thought of Mary. He remembered the weight of her body in his arms. He remembered the way his heart broke when she drew her last breath. But mostly, he recalled the small but intimate moments when they stole away from the others to be alone. He could still feel the phantom presence of her hair gently caressing his face; her fingers interlacing with his; her breath, hot against his skin.

It was Anne’s hand wrapping around his that pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced at her, offering a small smile of gratitude for her reassuring gesture. They both looked out at the village, watching the villagers carry on their mundane routines, knowing that they would never quite be the same without the ones they lost.

It wasn’t until Anne joined him on the Jackdaw as his quartermaster that Edward asked about the father of Mary’s baby. Anne responded, with no suspicions, that Mary stated it to be the young man who died the day of the ship’s capture. It was not a response that eased Edward’s conscience. _Either Mary lied to Anne, or I’m not …_ Edward stopped himself from completing his thought.

Whether the child was his or not, Edward was not going to allow the world to harm her. He was determined to continue Mary’s fight against the Templars, but he was determined to ‘build himself up’ as well. _And it all starts with Mary’s daughter_.

Edward thought he would never see the day when she would be found, until the fateful morning he received a letter from Ah Tabai with news of a discovery. A merchant, whose business was now housed in Kingston, adopted her. After the abrupt death of her adoptive mother, she began traveling with her father throughout Jamaica. She was eight years old. Ah Tabai had arranged, with Edward’s permission, to meet with her father the next time he put in to port in Kingston to restock.

Edward survived countless battles in his lifetime, but meeting an eight-year-old seemed to rank rather high on his list of dreaded things. He stood at the end of the dock, looking from the open sea to the Jackdaw. Part of him wanted to forget about this endeavor, and pretend that him handing the merchant a bag of gold would right the wrong.

Anne leaned over the Jackdaw’s railing, smiling at Edward’s pacing. She was surprised to hear from him after all this time, convinced that his life as a nobleman in England had officially ended his sea days.

“Why the nervous walk?” Anne called down to him.

“I’m not nervous,” Edward retorted. He turned to begin his pace up the dock once more when he spotted a young boy. He was jumping from box to box as he fought an imaginary enemy with a wooden sword. He continued to jump merrily until he spotted Edward. He smiled as Edward came closer to him. “That a good sword?”

“It’s not the sword but the person behind it,” the boy replied with his back to Edward.

“Smart lad,” Edward replied.

“I’m going to be a fierce pirate when I grow up,” the boy stated, slashing his sword through the air.

“A pirate?” Edward arched his eyebrow at the boy’s declaration. “It’s illegal to be a pirate.”

“I’m not afraid,” the boy replied. The boy hesitated before turning to look at Edward. “Would you be?”

Edward was stunned into silence when he saw the child’s face. He realized that the child wasn’t a boy at all, but a girl. Her hair tied back into a mess upon her head by a bandana. It was her smile though that caused his mind to clamber for words. _Mary_.

“Are you well?” the girl asked when Edward didn’t answer her.

“Aye, aye. I’m fine, lass,” Edward finally replied. “You just remind me of someone.”

“I hope a lady,” a male voice came from behind Edward. “I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times, Elizabeth. Swords are not for young ladies.”

“Father,” Elizabeth groaned. “I’ve told you, anyone can wield a sword as long as they practice. Besides, I’m a pirate!” She stated with pride.

“My apologies, sir,” Elizabeth’s father said to Edward.

“It’s quite alright. But I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with the young lass on this,” Edward replied. Elizabeth smiled, as her father appeared slightly outraged.

“You think I could fight?”

“Aye, why not? You seem to have a steady arm and sharp eye.”

“Even though I’m a girl?” Elizabeth hesitantly questioned.

Edward knelt in front of Elizabeth, placing an encouraging hand on her shoulder. “Some of the fiercest swordsmen I’ve known weren’t men at all. Bonny lasses, the lot of them.”

Elizabeth looked up at Edward, smiling with happiness that someone encouraged her dream. Elizabeth’s father, however, frowned at knowing that his daughter wouldn’t give up her pursuit for piracy now. Edward could care less, enraptured by the smile that dearly reminded him of Mary.

Edward offered his hand out to Elizabeth before asking, “May I see your sword?”

Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before slowly handing the hilt of her wooden sword to Edward. He nodded graciously as he took hold of the sword. He stood, pretending to inspect the sword with great interest before uttering ‘fascinating’ with a small nod to himself. Elizabeth smiled with pride as she watched him twirl the sword before trusting and parrying to the side. He corrected his posture to stand straight, smiling as he looked from the sword to Elizabeth.

“This, my lass, is a good sword,” Edward finally stated before handing it back to her. “A weapon of great envy, I’m sure.”

“It’s just wooden,” Elizabeth giggled when he handed it back to her.

“Just wooden?” Edward asked in a shocked tone. “My dear girl, there is more to a weapon than the material used to make it. There is the pride and craftsmanship that goes into making it. The effort the swordsman puts into caring for the weapon. Remember that.”

“I will,” Elizabeth smiled as she nodded her head in affirmation.

“Good. If you want to be the greatest pirate to ever sail the seas, you’ll have to remember that it’s not the weapons or resources that make the pirate,” Edward stated as he knelt in front of her. “It’s the strength of heart and character.” He placed a hand over his heart. “It’s the strength to not give up that counts.”

Time seemed to pass too quickly for Edward’s liking. He engaged in playful combat with Elizabeth, which resulted in him falling onto his back and her pressing a foot onto his chest as she cheered in victory. He felt a twinge of sadness as they parted. _I thought giving her father the money would have dulled the pain … but seeing her and talking with her changed that_ , Edward thought as he waved to her retreating form as she walked up the dock. He turned to head back onto the Jackdaw, determined to close this chapter of his life for good.

Anne stood on the dock beside the Jackdaw’s steps, smiling as she watched Edward come closer to her. She leaned her head to the side, looking past Edward to observe the owner of the quick-paced footsteps closing in on them.

Edward turned to look at the person, only to be greeted by small arms wrapping tightly around his waist. He looked down, recognizing the bandana and matt of hair as belonging to Elizabeth.

“Thank you,” she murmured before releasing her hold on him. She smiled before turning and running back down the dock to her father.

“Someone made a friend,” Anne smiled as she spoke. “Who is she?”

“She’s a pirate,” Edward replied, grinning to himself as he watched Elizabeth grab her father’s hand before walking up the shore.

“That all, huh?” Anne asked when Edward turned and proceeded to climb onto the Jackdaw. When Edward ignored her, she finally stated, “She’s got your eyes, but thank the Heavens she has Mary’s smile.”

Edward turned to face Anne after she boarded the ship. He opened his mouth to reply, but instead found himself lacking the proper response.

“I’m a woman, Edward, not an idiot.” Anne made her way up the stairs to the helm before turning and stating, “Mary would be proud of you.”

Edward looked onto the shore before turning his eyes out to sea. For the first time he could remember, a hesitation against sailing out to sea crept into his mind as he thought of Elizabeth. _I have to let her go_. _We both have families, now. I have a daughter, wife, and son. And she has a father …_ But part of him wanted to bring Elizabeth home to be a part of _his_ family. It was the small remembrance of the man he was—the pirate he was—that begged him to walk back onto the dock, pick her up in his arms and sail back to England.  _No. I won't break this promise_ , Edward thought as he remained determined to keep one promise.

“Do you wish to stay longer?” Anne’s voice broke his thoughts.

Edward paused before shaking his head, ascending the stairs to the helm. He ran his hands over the polished wood of the helm’s handles as he carefully thought what to tell Anne. _If she knew I wanted to stay, she’d kick me off my own ship_.

“Edward, we—”

“I’m ready to head home,” Edward suddenly replied, cutting off Anne’s words. "To see my family again."

“She’s family too,” Anne replied, the frown evident in her voice.  _You don't have to throw away family. You've punished yourself enough_ , she thought in remembrance of how devastated Edward was after Mary's death. She recalled her own child. Part of her wished that she could be in Edward's position, being able to see her child alive and well.  _I wouldn't be able to walk away …_

“No,” Edward shook his head as he spoke. “ _That_ man is her family. He’s a good father, better than what I could have been.” Anne touched Edward’s hand in a sympathetic gesture as he continued to speak. “The possibility of me being her father died with Mary.”

“You’re a good man, Edward,” Anne replied. “Mary knew that. I know it.”

“Aye. A good man,” Edward repeated in doubt. “I keep telling myself that _this_ is it, yet I plan on keeping an eye on her. Somehow.”

“There’s no harm in being concerned about a person you brought into the world. It’s natural,” Anne said as she leaned forward, placing her chin on top his hunched shoulder. “She may not know you are watching over her, but you just made a little girl’s world a lot brighter.”

Edward looked at Anne, releasing a small laugh before gently touching his forehead to hers. “Thank you, Anne.”

“Aye, a quartermaster’s job is a tough one, but I aim to please,” Anne said with a smile as she leaned away from Edward, turning to the crew. “All hands on deck! The captain wants movement!”

Edward smiled at Anne’s sudden change in attitude. He looked out into the horizon, greeted by an endless line of blue sea. The crew began to sing a shanty as they scurried across the deck, securing the rigging and what not. A tiny string pulled at his heart, telling him to look back once more before permanently leaving Kingston behind. He turned to look back at the docks, a weight lifting from his chest when he saw Elizabeth’s small figure waving as she stood at the end of the docks.  _She must have run back when her father least expected it_ , he thought with a smile. _Little rebel. Just like her mother_.

“Anne, helm.” Edward quickly ordered, taking the few strides to the railing. Grasping the rope, he pulled himself up to stand on the railing as he waved back to Elizabeth. It wasn’t the same as bringing her along with him, but there was a happiness that burned deep in Edward’s heart, knowing that he was able to have a proper goodbye to his life with Mary. To his daughter.

~0~0~0~0~0~

The pain piercing Edward’s chest was instant and immeasurable. He suffered and survived many injuries in his years of piracy, but he knew this was a blow he would not survive. A small but strong hand came into his blurred vision. He slowly outstretched his arm, sliding his hand into the familiar one. The pain in his chest subsided before completely disappearing as the hand pulled him up into the blinding light.

Edward looked down at the hand holding his, his eyes scanning the arm attached to it. His breath caught in his throat once he noticed whom the hand belonged to.

“Mary,” Edward spoke in disbelief as he gently ran a hand through her hair, overjoyed but terrified that she was another hallucination.

“You did it, Edward. You kept your promise,” Mary stated with a small smile as she gently caressed his cheek. “You did your part.”

“I missed you,” Edward finally confessed with a deep sigh, pressing his forehead against Mary’s. “God, I missed you,” he repeated in an attempt to convince himself that he was holding the real Mary once more.

“As I’ve missed you,” Mary mirrored his statement. She moved her hands to place them against his chest as she leaned in to kiss him. It was a gentle, long awaited answer to the question that haunted Edward’s mind from even before her death: did Mary still love him after all this time?

Their moments together were short, often stolen when the others were busy drinking or scheming, but they were genuine and heartfelt. The others never suspected what they were up to, all of them fooled by Mary's charade as James Kidd.

The stolen moments between them meant the most to Edward, pushing him forward to become the better person Mary saw in him.  _She accepted the pirate I was and saw the good man I could be._

Edward tightened his hold on Mary, pressing his hands into her back in an attempt to push them closer together. _I’m never letting you go_. He smiled into their kiss as her hands snaked their way around his neck, pulling him closer to her height. Nothing had changed between them, and it made Edward’s heart soar with happiness.

They both laughed full-heartedly when Edward wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground as he spun them around. Edward truly felt at ease for the first time, knowing that he fulfilled the most important promise of his life and now held the one thing that always mattered most: love.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to join me on tumblr:
> 
> [drunklightning](http://drunklightning.tumblr.com) is my blog where I reblog anything I find of interest.
> 
> [dexterous-sinistrous](http://dexterous-sinistrous.tumblr.com) is suited towards my ramblings about my writing, and NSFW. (It's where I serenade myself about Sterek). It's my trashcan of emotions. Feel free to stop by and say hi, criticize me, make incoherent noises with me, whatevs.
> 
> [Send](http://dexterous-sinistrous.tumblr.com/ask) me any prompts you think you'd like to have me write!


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